Salted Soymilk Star Dougnuts
by merryfortune
Summary: [set between episodes 40 and 41] Hikaru brings a new flavour of Star Dougnuts to the rocket ship.


**Salted Soymilk Star Dougnuts**

Singing to herself, or perhaps more accurately: humming to herself, Hikaru made herself known long before she even opened the door to the Rocket. Yuni had a set of sensitive ears and unlike many of Hikaru's companions and peers, the girl was very distinctive in the racket that she either knowingly or unknowingly kicked up. Some people were unappreciative of this trait of Hikaru's and it could be surprising to learn that Yuni was not one such person. She very much appreciated it because it gave her time to mentally prepare the patience which she would need to deal with such a blissfully bombastic person.

"Hey Yuni," Hikaru said, immediately upon slamming open the Rocket's doors, "I brought doughnuts, for me and You-ni." She giggled to herself as she kicked off her shoes.

Yuni's ears flicked. "Where're the other girls today, meow?" she asked.

"Lala's studying with Sakurako. They've been getting along ever since, well, the cat got out of the bag." Hikaru said as she sat down. "As for Elena and Madoka, they've got their final exams. Fingers crossed that goes twin-cool for them. I have no doubt that they'll outshine all their classmates."

"I see, meow." Yuni replied.

"So. Just you and me today." Hikaru said.

Yuni relaxed to into her hand which was propped up on the table in the centre of the rocket ship. She sighed. "Why not spend some time at home then, meow? Feed your dog and family your doughnuts, meow?"

"Because I was worried you were lonely, duh." Hikaru said.

Hikaru set down the doughnuts on the table. She had brought less than usual. Just enough for herself, the glutton, for Yuni, who ate less than everyone, and then some for Prunce and Fuwa. Hikaru glanced around. It seemed that she had noticed something was slightly amiss. It was just herself and Yuni.

"Where's Prunce and Fuwa?" she asked.

"Fuwa's having a nap, for once in her life, and as for Prunce, he's taking the moment to relax as well, catch up on the latest intergalactic dramas, meow. Though, I'm sure once he smells doughnuts, he'll come running, meow." Yuni informed her.

"I see. I hope so. A big crowd's better than two." Hikaru replied.

Yuni was terse. She disagreed but she was happy to indulge Hikaru with noncommittal silence in this situation. After all, her opinion was beginning to change. Like a pendulum's swing, Yuni had once loved big crowds as well, even if she was something of a wallflower, but since becoming a thief and the sole survivor of her species, she had come to loathe them. But, through meeting Hikaru and these girls, that opinion had begun to shift again. Just a little and rather painfully.

Hikaru unwrapped the doughnuts. She had brought two boxes and she smiled to herself. Yuni's nose twitched and her curiosity betrayed her. They didn't look – or smell – like the usual doughnuts which Hikaru bought to share using her allowances. Not all of them, anyway. Some were the usual plain glaze and cinnamon, but that second box was not so common.

"You noticed?" Hikaru asked, an impish smile on her face.

"A new flavour, meow?" Yuni inquired, eyes sparkling.

"A-yup. I bought it 'cause I thought you'd like it." Hikaru said.

There was a curt waver in her voice which Yuni picked up on. She blinked. Hikaru, who adored to gobble all manner of doughnuts down, seemed vaguely uncertain of her choice. For just a moment, her usual manner deflated and Yuni had caught it no differently to catching an eyelash in her eye.

"Are you worried you'll dislike this new flavour?" Yuni asked.

"A little bit." Hikaru said before putting her hand on her the back of her hand and laughing boisterously at her own self-perceived silliness. "What if it has a bad texture or something? But I'm sure it'll be delicious, it reminded me of you."

"It did, meow?" Yuni blinked curiously.

She licked her jowls. Hikaru thought it was rather cute. Yuni, blushed, for she realised that Hikaru was staring at her mannerisms and it embarrassed her, so her tail twitched and kinked for a moment as her eyes wandered back to the doughnuts. They, of course, had the usual star shape to their centre per the style of the baker who makes them down in the town centre, but they were pasted quite thickly with white icing.

Whilst they weren't plain like plain doughnuts were, they weren't decorated enough to give Yuni a hint. Smelling the air, they just smelt like regular vanilla iced doughnuts to her. It was almost petty or pouty but Yuni would have thought that she had more of a unique prescence on Hikaru's minds, especially if her inability to resist cat puns around her were any metric to use. Yuni crossed her arms.

"I'm sure they're fine." Yuni said.

Hikaru laughed. "The icing is salted soymilk flavoured. And, well, I thought cats liked milk, so they reminded me of you."

"I see, meow." Yuni said and she shrugged. "I'll try one first for you, meow."

"Thanks, Yuni." Hikaru smiled.

Yuni reached across the table and she suddenly became aware of the fact that they she and Hikaru were sitting in their 'usual' spots. It felt odd since normally there was someone between them. Instead, there was three empty seats. Perhaps, she ought to move closer but Yuni was hesitant to. She didn't know why but getting closer to Hikaru scared her.

Yuni picked out the second doughnut from the front. She didn't know why, the first doughnut was perfectly fine, she just did so anyway. With little hesitation or cautiousness, Yuni took an unceremonious chomp out of the doughnut. She sank her fangs in and she had to admit. It was one of the nicer doughnuts that she had ever had. The icing was definitely what was selling her on it. She quickly devoured the rest of it and licked her fingers clean.

Hikaru smiled. "You liked it?" she asked.

"It was okay, meow." Yuni replied, snootier in her reply than she meant.

"Well, don't mind if I do." Hikaru chirruped.

She was then quick to devour the first doughnut which had slumped onto the third doughnut as Yuni had eaten the second one. Hikaru very happily bit through her doughnut and she found the saltiness a pleasant contrast against the sweet greasiness of the doughnut. As it was iced, not glazed, the grease didn't weigh as heavy on her tongue but was still delightfully dulcet. Not to mention, that ever-present star motif in the middle of it made her happy as well.

Watching Hikaru eat made Yuni happy as well. She gazed fondly towards Hikaru as she ate.

"Yep, that was a super-duper yummy doughnut." Hikaru gushed upon finishing eating it.

Yuni continued to feel some lukewarm elation upon seeing Hikaru happy. But rather than reach for yet another doughnut, Hikaru got up. She toyed with her school uniform and then she sat down. This time in the next seat over. Yuni's heart pounded unexpectedly as Hikaru was now sitting next to her. She had taken the initiative. And Yuni wasn't sure why but then again, she wasn't sure why Hikaru did a lot of things for her, but she found it sweet, nonetheless.

"Ne, Yuni," Hikaru said as she finally picked out another doughnut, salted soymilk, of course, "can I ask you something?"

"What would mew like to ask?" Yuni asked.

She kept herself guarded and she kept Hikaru as far away as she possibly could. Which was becoming increasingly difficult because the girl was so darn affable. Not to mention, Yuni had traversed entire universes looking for her star; it made no sense to turn back down when here she was.

"Why don't you ever just... chill? Not like emotionally, but, like, physically. In your..." Hikaru fumbled with her words.

"In my 'true' form, you mean, meow?" Yuni asked.

"A-yup." nodded Hikaru.

Yuni sighed but it turned into a hum. She slumped sideways slightly and drummed her fingers on the table. Hikaru seemed happy to wait for an answer whilst Yuni mulled over an answer for her. One which they would both find palatable.

"Because accidents happen, I suppose, meow." Yuni murmured. "I mean, we'll always be skirting around secrets and you said it before, meow. The cat's out of the bag, meow. But... this cat isn't ready to be out of the supposed bag, meow."

"I see..." Hikaru murmured. "Well," she said, brightening up, "when you're ready to, I look forward to it."

Yuni laughed. "You are a strange one, Cure Star, meow."

"I get that a lot." Hikaru blithely replied. Her eyes snapped open though. "Do you think you'll ever transform into Cure Cosmo whilst being your true alien form?"

Yuni hissed and quirked an eyebrow.

"Did I say something wrong?" Hikaru asked.

"No, I guess not; I was just being defensive, meow." Yuni said and her hackles settled.

"Are you sure?" Hikaru asked. "I think I did say something wrong. All I want is to be my authentic self and I become that person when I become Cure Star. I think it's the same for the other girls so why not mew too? I mean, you are the star of all that remains of Rainbow, for now, so I can't help but think that your Rainbownian self is you when you're a hundred percent mew."

Hikaru... had a point.

Yuni didn't want to admit it but Hikaru was right, or at the very least onto something. And Yuni very much wished that she wasn't. So, she asked a question back, spitting it out like venom.

"Do you think there will come a day where you transform into Cure Star, you'll become an alien, meow? A completely nonhuman entity, meow?"

Hikaru hummed and tapped her chin with her index finger, tempted to nibble on her nails as she was sometimes in that sort of habit. "Well, no. But if I could, that'd be so twin-cool! Thinking about myself, in that unlimited form and style makes my heart pound super duper fast. If such a thing was possible, I would want to try as many forms as possible to see who I truly am and who from such persons I can assimilate into my true self. I think that's called transhumanism." She stuck her tongue out at Yuni.

Yuni sighed. She supposed that was a Hikaru answer through and through. She was the girl who found it fantastic and fascinating that Rainbownians had the power to shape shift, naturally and with an aide, rather than cause for suspicion of them. It was remarkably optimistic but natural too.

With a slight smile on her lips, curt but charmed, Yuni said: "For just a moment, I suppose, meow. But I can't go wasting my Rainbow Perfume on such frivolous things, meow."

She surrendered to Hikaru's endearingly persistent gaze which was positively starry. With a flick of her wrist, Yuni produced her Rainbow Perfume and with a squeeze and a squirt of it, she reverted to her supposedly authentic form.

Her whole body exploded into thick and fluffy, beige fur. Whiskers protruded from her cheeks as her snout took hold of her button nose. Her hands turned to paws but Yuni didn't mind. It always felt good to let the cat out of the bag once in a while, even if it meant that Hikaru had to stare and stare something awful. Doubly so as they were sitting next to each other.

"May I touch you?" Hikaru asked. "You're just too cute to compute, I wanna give you a pat or a scratch. Are you soft? I bet you're soft. Oh, you're just too twin-cool!"

Yuni smiled a fond smile but on her face, it seemed more bemused than anything else. Hikaru didn't seem to mind or maybe she just didn't notice.

"Fine, meow. Just this one, meow." Yuni said.

"Thank mew very, very much." Hikaru gushed.

Yuni squirmed slightly as Hikaru bumbled in closer. She lifted her hand to Yuni's face and with just her finger, she started at the base of Yuni's chin. A growl got stuck in her throat, but it thinned out as Hikaru scratched her. Her finger was very pokey and bendy but once yuni got into the rhythm of it, she began to purr. Her purr was rusty and tickled Hikaru's ears, but it absolutely encouraged her, so she used more fingers.

Hikaru got really into it. Soon, she had both hands clamped either side of Yuni's face, smushing it up and running her fingers through Yuni's fur. It was extraordinarily thick and fluffy; Hikaru utterly marvelled over it. She grinned from ear to ear as she listened to how Yuni purred at her touch.

It felt nice. Nice enough for Yuni to tentatively closer her eyes and revel in how her voice box reverberated in her throat. It had been a long time since Yuni had let someone touch her so affectionately and let alone to the point where she purred. Her spine tingled and she indulged the moment, mulling over to herself, with a steady heartbeat and steadier breaths, how thankful she was that her star was not only a person but Hikaru.

Yuni was fairly certain that she would never tell Hikaru her feelings, but they were there. They were real. They were important to Yuni and something like gratitude. A thankfulness for being her light in the dark abyss of the cosmos.


End file.
